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Show ContentsLangford History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
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Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

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The Anglo-Saxon name Langford comes from when the family resided in the regions of Langford which were in eight counties throughout England. Langford is a habitation name from the broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Other local names are derived from the names of houses, manors, estates, regions, and entire counties.

Early Origins of the Langford family

The surname Langford was first found in Bedfordshire at Langford, a village and civil parish alongside the River Ivel. With multiple listings of the same village throughout England (Bedfordshire, Essex, Nottinghamshire and as Langford Budville in Somerset), it is difficult to give a precise local for the surname's origin.

However, of all of them, the village in Bedfordshire has traditionally had the highest population over the years. Some are listed in the Domesday Book as follows: Langeford, Bedfordshire; Langheforda, Essex; and Landeforde, Nottinghamshire. 1

The place name literally means "long ford" from the Old English lang + ford. But the Nottinghamshire village could have been derived from "ford of a man called Landa" from the Old English personal name + ford. 2

There are other villages and parishes named Langford, in England but these are the oldest. The Cornwall local cannot be found today, but it is from this local that many of the family originated. Roger de Langford was sheriff of Cornwall in 1225. He took his surname from the parish of Marham Church. 3

While the town or parish of Langford cannot be found today, historical evidence of the family exists. "In 1620 Emanuel Langford possessed five parts out of six [of the manor of Liskeard Coelsehill." and "Tremabe, in [the parish of Liskeard], which was formerly a seat of the Langfords, is now a farm house. Langford-Hill [in the parish of Marham-Church] was formerly a seat belonging to an ancient family called Langford, of whom the last lineal descendant, Mrs. Flizabeth Hammet, died in 1783." 4

Early History of the Langford family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Langford research. Another 95 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1229, 1625, 1652, 1656, 1683, 1713, 1716, 1725 and 1791 are included under the topic Early Langford History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Langford Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Langford include Langford, Langforde, Langfort, Longford and many more.

Early Notables of the Langford family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

  • Sir John Langford of Cornwall

Langford World Ranking

In the United States, the name Langford is the 1,659th most popular surname with an estimated 19,896 people with that name. 5 However, in Australia, the name Langford is ranked the 817th most popular surname with an estimated 4,814 people with that name. 6 And in New Zealand, the name Langford is the 933rd popular surname with an estimated 799 people with that name. 7 The United Kingdom ranks Langford as 938th with 7,386 people. 8

Ireland Migration of the Langford family to Ireland

Some of the Langford family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 79 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

United States Langford migration to the United States +

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Langford Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Marcie Langford, aged 24, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Phillip" 9
  • Edward Langford, who landed in Virginia in 1638 9
  • Walter Langford, who landed in Virginia in 1643 9
  • Edward Langford, who landed in Maryland in 1644 9
  • John Langford, who arrived in Salem, Massachusetts in 1645 9
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Langford Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Kather Langford, who arrived in Virginia in 1717 9
  • Thomas Langford, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1775 9
Langford Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Tom Langford, who landed in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1852 9
  • James Langford, who landed in Indiana in 1852 9
  • William Langford, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1856 9
  • Farnham Langford, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1876 9
  • Enoch Langford, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1878 9

Canada Langford migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Langford Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • William Langford, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1749

Australia Langford migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Langford Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Thomas Langford, English convict from Sussex, who was transported aboard the "Asia" on October 22nd, 1824, settling in New South Wales, Australia 10
  • Mr. John Langford, English labourer who was convicted in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, England for life for stealing, transported aboard the "Fairlie" on 14th October 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
  • Mr. Richard Langford, English convict who was convicted in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Bardaster" on 7th September 1835, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 12
  • Mr. James Langford, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 15 years, transported aboard the "Barossa" on 8th December 1839, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 13
  • Mr. Isaac Langford, (b. 1821), aged 20, English blacksmith who was convicted in Somerset, England for 10 years for theft, transported aboard the "David Clarke" on 3rd June 1841, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1845 14
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Langford migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Langford Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • John Alfred Langford, aged 23, a chainmaker, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Aurora" in 1840
  • Harriet Langford, aged 20, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Aurora" in 1840
  • Richard Langford, aged 25, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "London" in 1842
  • Ann Langford, aged 25, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "London" in 1842
  • Eliza Langford, aged 4, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "London" in 1842
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

West Indies Langford migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 15
Langford Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • Abraham Langford, who settled in Barbados with his servants in 1680

Contemporary Notables of the name Langford (post 1700) +

  • Larry Paul Langford (1946-2019), American politician, 30th Mayor of the city of Birmingham, Alabama (2007-2009)
  • Cooper Harold Langford (1895-1964), American philosopher and logician, co-author of the 1932 book Symbolic Logic
  • Keith Langford (b. 1983), American professional basketball player
  • Nathaniel Pitt Langford (1832-1911), American explorer, businessman, bureaucrat, first superintendent of the world's first national park, Yellowstone National Park
  • James Rick Langford (b. 1952), American Major League Baseball pitcher who played from 1976 through 1986
  • Frances Newbern Langford (1913-2005), American singer and entertainer
  • Ernest Langford, American politician, Mayor of College Station, Texas, 1952-55 16
  • Elizabeth Langford, American Republican politician, Supervisor of Ann Arbor Township, Michigan, 1988-2002 16
  • Dale Langford, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from North Dakota, 1960 16
  • Charles Langford, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Alabama, 2000 16
  • ... (Another 21 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
HMS Cornwall
  • Samuel Edward Alexander Langford, British Chief Yeoman of Signals aboard the HMS Cornwall (1942) when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he was wounded during the sinking 17

Suggested Readings for the name Langford +

  • The Descendants and Antecedents of John Parham Rose et al. of Warren County, North Carolina by Seth Warner.
  • Langfords in America by George Shealy Langford.
  1. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  2. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  3. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  4. Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
  5. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  6. "Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
  7. "Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
  8. "UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
  9. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  10. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Asia 1 voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1824 with 9 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1824
  11. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 21st September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fairlie
  12. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bardaster
  13. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barossa
  14. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd June 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/david-clarke
  15. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  16. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 1) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  17. Force Z Survivors Crew List HMS Cornwall (Retrieved 2018, February 13th) - Retrieved from https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listcornwallcrew.html#A
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